Independent Voters of Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A new lawsuit filed in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court challenges Maryland’s closed primary system, aiming to grant nearly 1 million unaffiliated voters the right to participate in primary elections. Filed on May 28, 2025, by five unaffiliated voters and backed by the Open Primaries Education Fund, the suit claims the taxpayer-funded primaries violate the state constitution by excluding independents. “This lawsuit is meant to address a situation where publicly funded and...

Five politically unaffiliated Maryland voters sued the state Board of Elections this week, claiming that taxpayer funding of closed primary elections in which they can’t vote violates their constitutional rights. In Maryland, Democratic and Republican primary elections are “partially closed.” The state’s nearly 1 million unaffiliated, Green Party and Libertarian voters may only participate in major party primary elections with permission from the respective party, even though they help fund...